This Pivot Arc Lighter provides the reach of a wand lighter, but comes in a more portable form factor: It can be folded in half when not in use.

It’s made of die-cast zinc and finished with a brass coating. The juice comes from lithium-ion batteries, recharged via the USB-C port at the bottom.

These are by Utah-based outdoor products company Barebones and run $50.

Dezeen School Shows: a sustainably designed running shoe with replaceable and reconfigurable modular components is included in Dezeen’s latest school show by New Designers.

Also included is a collection of garments informed by how people’s use of nature and landscapes is limited by access laws and an embroidery project focusing on craft techniques that takes cues from themes of both femininity and the grotesque.

New Designers

School: New Designers

Statement:

“New Designers is an annual London showcase of the UK’s most innovative emerging design talent.

“Since its inception 39 years ago, New Designers has provided a platform for over 3,000 graduates every year to present their visionary ideas to industry professionals and the public.

“The event takes place over two weeks, with different disciplines highlighted in week one and week two, spanning fashion, textiles, furniture, product design, illustration and more.

“The show is hosted at at the Business Design Centre in London, with week one taking place from 26 to 29 June and week two taking place from 3 to 6 July.”

Silver Linings by Romy Fraser Reid

“Within this collection, a bridge forms between the fleeting trends and enduring styles prevalent in contemporary fashion.

“An exploration into the psychology of metallics’ recurrent allure inspires the collection’s application of natural materials and metal embellishments, aiming to empower those who wear it.

“Abstract, textural prints embrace the organic textures and patterns seen throughout nature, while creating a fusion of modern and luxury textiles through print and handcrafted processes.

“A focus on controlled craftsmanship includes hand-beading as well as screen-printing with foil, aqua-suede and flock to create value and textural depth.

“Through this collection, tactility blends with modern sophistication, offering empowerment through fashion.”

Student: Romy Fraser Reid
School: Edinburgh College of Art
Course: BA (Hons) Textiles

Vessels of Resurgence by Grace Richardson

“Vessels of Resurgence is a collection of woven sculptures depicting the inevitable process of decay and rebirth in nature.

“Pulling inspiration from eco-burial and traditional shrouds, each piece symbolises the ways in which nature takes over after death.

“The selected image depicts the transition between autumn and winter.

“Grace chooses her materials intentionally, focusing on natural fibres used for burial shrouds that fully decompose – such as linen, cotton and wool.

“By using a combination of 3D embroidery techniques such as stump work and white work, the form takes on a life of it’s own.”

Student: Grace Richardson
School: Royal School of Needlework
Course: BA (Hons) Hand Embroidery

The Feminine Grotesque by Bonnie Magee

“I understand the word ‘feminine’ to be associated with the beauty of organic form, nature, strength and the exploration of emotion

“Exploring the grotesque, I observed preserved organs and taxidermy during museum visits, as well as exploring nature and capturing natural forms.

“I connect with these themes through materiality, process and communication through stitch.

“Highlighting the beauty that comes from the uncomfortable, my work is constantly combining the body with the natural world.

“Using mixed embroidery methods, I translate the textures and forms into samples, which provide both a narrative and inspire silhouettes that reference wearable art and historical costume.

“Additionally, illustrative embroidery translates forms of creatures and animals, inspired by emotive storytelling and the dark history of fairy tales.

“Within my collection, materials have been sourced ethically, using offcuts and donations, kindly supported by Ayrshire-based company MYB textiles, which produces Scottish lace.”

Student: Bonnie Magee
School: Glasgow School of Art
Course: BA (Hons) Textile Design

Ode to Kay by Emily Nell Vickers

“Ode to Kay is an exploration of colour, abstract patterns and heritage.

“An essential element of this project is defeating the stereotype that natural colour is dull, proven by developing a collection without the use of synthetic dyes that are often derived from petrochemicals.

“The project lead to research and experiments with natural extracts to create a diverse range of lightfast print pastes.

“All fabrics used are dead stock linen sourced from the interiors industry.”

Student: Emily Nell Vickers
School: University of Brighton
Course: BA (Hons) Fashion & Textile Design

Untitled by Sam Holmes

“The goal of this project was to establish a strong connection between my profound love for nature and the creation of distinctive jewellery pieces.

“To authentically express this bond, I recognised the significance of immersing myself in natural settings and crafting jewellery directly inspired by the places that resonate with me.

“In my pursuit of inspiration and a fresh approach to capturing nature in jewellery, I ventured out of the workshop.

“Armed with my homemade portable setup and a handful of basic tools, I sought out specific locations to explore how my jewellery-making and creativity would be influenced by these environments.

“I then took each piece back into the workshop to refine a small collection out of the inspiration from each location.”

Student: Sam Holmes
School: Manchester School of Art
Course: BA Product Design & Craft

Our forbidden land/Our restricted wild by Emily Brown

“The availability of natural spaces and our access to them is crucial for fostering a profound connection between humans and the wild, empowering us to care for our planet.

“However, public exclusion from common land exacerbates the detachment from nature.

“In England, extensive privatisation limits public access, evident in ubiquitous ‘private’ signs, fences, and CCTV warnings.

“Only eight per cent of land allows activities, hindering camping and other pursuits.

“Using my passion for natural materials, knitting, macrame, crochet and hand construction, this project explores themes such as trespass, land privatisation, industrialisation, and their impacts on biodiversity.”

Student: Emily Brown
School: De Montfort University
Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Textile Design

ModuRun by Lewis Broughton

“ModuRun aims to improve the sustainability of running shoes by adopting a modular design where the shoe can be taken apart, adapted for different terrains, and recycled and reused at the end of its life.

“It must still function like a normal running shoe while adopting materials that will not end up in landfill at the end of its life, helping to minimise waste created by the ever-growing footwear industry.

“ModuRun focuses on two of the UN sustainability goals: consumption and production, and climate action.

“The idea promotes responsible consumption and production and will help to bring back more meaningful, sentimental value and longevity to products in a world of ever-changing trends and innovation.”

Student: Lewis Broughton
School: Bournemouth University
Course: BA/BSc (Hons) Product Design, BSc (Hons) Design Engineering

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and New Designers. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

The post Seven fashion and textiles projects by students taking part in New Designers appeared first on Dezeen.

Earbuds are a kind of accessory you’ll find most common in anybody’s arsenal. They isolate you from the distracting outside world and help you focus while working, exercising, commuting, or anything in between. Extending the usability of earbuds for people with vision problems or in general even the common users who like to turn on their ANC at full blast. Apart from the audio information, the eyes are the best sensors to gauge the environment.

The Cell Buds are an evolution of the good old earbuds into a wearable that assists the blind in navigating crowded spaces or even being aware of what’s around them with sound cues coming from the buds equipped with nano camera units that keep track of any information that may be vital. This eliminates the need for transparency mode to be aware of the space, or even situations where you want strong ANC while being totally aware of what’s happening around in a crowded urban area, essentially making them your eyes and mind for daily life assistance.

Designer: Minwoo Kim

https://vimeo.com/user217694550

These earbuds are loaded with an ultra-compact vision cam and AI to bring all the smart features of your smartphone to this cool gadget plugged into the ears. As a part of the Samsung Design Membership course, Minwoo conceptualized this design to dramatically improve the user’s experience. The on-device AI brings personalized interaction with information available in the cloud and the compact vision cameras keep sensing the surrounding environment around you for any signs of danger or information that might be important to you. For example, an approaching motorist from the left when you are busy crossing the street.

With smart AI, the wearables can be useful for frequent travelers or people with vision impairments. The hands-free personal assistance provided by Cell Buds keeps you from checking your phone, thereby curbing your digital life for good. Design and comfort are prime when it comes to the concept, as Kim has managed to fit a rotating camera unit inside the housing that houses the driver units, microphones, and the battery. According to him, the camera drive unit slightly protrudes from the ear to increase the camera’s field of view.

The post Earbuds with nano camera and smart AI are more than just music for your ears first appeared on Yanko Design.

Resurfacing a highway requires shutting down lanes, and this creates disruption. The Swiss don’t like disruptions. Thus the Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) hired Marti Technik AG, a construction firm that specializes in cutting-edge technology and special equipment, to design and build a solution.

Marti Technik’s answer is this incredible Astra Bridge. Its modular components are trucked to site and assembled, creating an elevated roadway that allows workers to resurface 100 meters of roadway at a time while traffic flows overhead, unimpeded. Everything from how the components are unloaded, to how they’re positioned into place and connected, has been thought out in mind-boggling detail:

It’s been in service for two years now. Here’s footage of it in current use on the A1 highway:

“While work is being done under the bridge,” FEDRO writes, “traffic above is moving in two lanes at 60 km/h.”

Given how almost everyone has a smartphone these days, it’s not really surprising to see establishments and furniture adapting to the situation. Desks, tables, and even shelves have started to integrate charging solutions that make it convenient to top up a mobile device quickly without having to scramble for and fight over a power strip or wall socket. Unfortunately, many of these designs, particularly for tables, add some rather unsightly cables that can also be a safety hazard if not installed properly. This table, in contrast, lets you charge phones and tablets with ease while magically making those cables disappear to preserve the table’s minimalist beauty and avoid tripping people up when they have to move about.

Designer: Carl Magnusson

Tables with integrated charging solutions seem to fall into two extremes. On the one hand, you have regular tablets that have just been retrofitted with power strips and are often seen in public places like coffee shops or even libraries. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is classier furniture that utilizes wireless charging technologies in order to make power sockets invisible, like the newer desks and shelves from the likes of IKEA. Both designs, however, require the table itself to still be plugged in regardless since it has to take all that power from somewhere.

In that regard, the MagPower Table is almost futuristic with its wireless functionality while still being completely rooted in present design trends with its extremely minimalist design. At first glance, it simply looks like a wooden table with a large circular top and wooden or aluminum legs, but closer inspection will reveal two USB-C slots and one full-sized USB-A slot for charging mobile devices. What makes this design almost mind-blowing is that there isn’t any cable snaking out from one of the table’s legs to connect to a nearby power outlet, making it seem like it’s using wireless charging technologies, at least for itself.

The secret behind this is the design of the table’s leg which can house a rechargeable battery that then powers connected devices. The battery can be removed at the end of the day and recharged separately before being reinstalled the next day. That said, the design also allows for a power brick to be plugged in directly, which has its own convenience, presuming you can live with the sight of that cable.

The MagPower Table’s minimalist aesthetic matches the goal of its design to offer a clutter-free space and enhance your productivity. Granted, it also raises questions about where a single battery is enough to charge several devices at the same time, but it’s certainly possible to expand the design and have all legs house a battery. This would help avoid competing for only three sockets, which will be the most likely scenario if these tables are used in office environments.

The post Minimalist table is a charging hub that doesn’t need to plug itself in first appeared on Yanko Design.